The Israeli army has confirmed that the crew aboard a helicopter that crashed in mountainous terrain in Romania during a military exercise did not survive.

The crew consisted of 6 Israelis and one Romanian liaison officer- so far 4 bodies have been found.

On Tuesday Israeli army officials explained what the crew had been doing before the accident.

[Israel Shafir, Brigadier General ]:
"This particular training was a two-week training mission, the particular crew had arrived the day before, was briefed thoroughly on the mountainous terrain and the bad weather which was actually the reason for the training. The aircrews were all experienced aircrews with thousands of flight hours."

A search and rescue team has been sent from Israel to investigate the cause of the incident.

The team includes search teams, doctors, and personnel to identify the bodies.

The CF-53 helicopter and its crew were in the area to familiarise themselves with foreign terrain and weather conditions.

Israeli forces routinely hold exercises in Romania and other European countries as part of their training.